Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Released: May 2, 1978

Songwriter: Tom Petty

Producer: Tom Petty Noah Shark Denny Cordell

[Verse 1]
Well, the talk on the street says you might go solo
Good friend of mine saw you leavin' by your back door

[Chorus]
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
If you think you're gonna leave, then you better say so
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
Because I don't know how long I can hold on
If you're making me wait, if you're leadin' me on
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)

[Verse 2]
Who would've thought that you'd fall for his line
All of a sudden, it's me on the outside

[Chorus]
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
If you think you're gonna leave, then you better say so
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
Because I don't know how long I can hold on
If you're making me wait, if you're leadin' me on
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)

[Chorus]
Baby, I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
If you think you're gonna leave, then you better say so
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
Because I don't know how long I can hold on
If you're making me wait, if you're leadin' me on
I need to know (I need to know)
I need to know (I need to know)
Baby, I need to know

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – an L.A.-based gang of sharp-dressed garage-rock refugees from Gainsville, Florida – released their debut LP in November 1976, featuring two tracks which are now part of their long list of hits, “Breakdown” and “American Girl.”

Since that first LP in ‘76, the band’s style has epitomized and largely defined the American “heartland rock” movement – a vintage-guitar twang, hard lyric truth, and searing vocal attitude.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been nominated for 17 Grammy awards and sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all-time.

more tracks from the album

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Greatest Hits (1993)

From the albums

You’re Gonna Get It! (1978)
Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1985)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Greatest Hits (1993) (1993)
Playback (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) (1995)
Anthology Through The Years (2000)
Rock Band 3 Setlist (2010)
The Best of Everything (2019)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers popular songs

I Need to KnowTom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Greatest Hits (1993)